Guiltless
by HDSweet Saren
Summary: After getting drunk one night, Tali awakens to find out that she has cheated on her boyfriend, Commander Shepard, with Garrus Vakarian. Oddly enough, Garrus finds that he doesn't feel guilty about it.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes**: I am writing this a as special request from maxxx7491. So enjoy. And thank you to all the fans for your loyalty and support (and yes that is a quote from yours truly).

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Finally, the day had come, shore leave. The entire Normandy SR2 crew fled the ship, heading to Purgatory to unwind; everyone save for Commander Shepard. He was back at the ship filing reports for the council. They wanted extensive, analytical data on every mission. John Shepard had no choice but to oblige. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy SR2 had offered to stay on the ship with him and help, but he insisted that she go be with their friends. They had been dating for a year and she knew that being with him would be difficult, but she Tali like a challenge. Plus he did save her life a few times.

However, being a girl friend to the famous and sometimes infamous, Commander Shepard was not all it was cracked up to be. Ever since they had started dating, Tali had been feeling like she was living in a giant's shadow. Every time they docked, news reporters want to have at him, forcing Tali to stand off to the side while they attempted to chew Shepard up and spit him out. And if it wasn't the reporters, it was other admirals, captains, and politician inviting him to these stuffy banquettes, for more analytics, or logistics. Then there were the fans, swarming him like sharks smelling blood. By the time he made it back to the ship, he was exhausted, too famished to cater to his girlfriend, let alone, satisfy her needs.

Their relationship was stressful, but despite its blemishes, Tali really loved him. She admired Shepard like no other man she had ever admired before. He had this charisma about him that she had been drawn to since the day they met. The two were unsure about dating at first, due to the fact that Tali didn't even know if he was in to her. Once they made their feelings prevalent, there was the whole issue of the crew finding out, and how they would react. It was a small ship by comparison, so being the first to find out about a new relationship amongst the crew was like finding a million credits.

Tali knew that Commander Shepard had a lot on his plate, and he didn't get much shore leave. But despite all that seemed to be pit against them, she couldn't imagine herself with anyone else.

As soon as Tali entered the double-decker club, it was to the bar so she can down as many drinks as she could. The quarian was wearing a form-fitted dress that was cut high above her thighs. All she needed to do was bend over and her goodies would be on display. The dress was dark and sparkling, cut to reveal a bountiful supply of her chest, teasing any admirers.

Sitting at the bar with the rest of the Normandy crew, they took turns ordering rounds. Garrus had been the first one at the bar. He usually was, being a heavy drinker and a bit of a loner at times. He had a lot of demons to chase away and the alcohol did just that. The turian, deemed the commander's right-hand, didn't like to talk about all that he'd been through. But rumors had it that while doing cleanup on Omega, Garrus had gotten himself into some deep shit. Having a squadron of his own, they all were killed, and he found himself backed into a corner on his last whim. That was when Shepard found him.

Seeing him plotted at the end of the bar, drinking who the hell knows what; Tali rushed to sit next to him.

"Garrus!"

Not even looking at her, he replied. "Tali."

After about the fifth shot, Tali was feeling it, the room spinning, voices fading in and out. She hated having such a low tolerance to alcohol. Garrus was laughing at her, his finger pointing in her direction, a smug look on his rugged, plated face. She waved the turian off, ordering another round in an attempt to prove that she was not a lightweight. The other crew members were laughing at her as well, which made it even harder for her to prove her point.

The eighth round was her last. By that time, she couldn't even sit up straight. Jacob had to keep holding her up. She moaned loudly, her voice lost in the sea of techno-alien music.

"You're done." Jacob Taylor chimed, the way he did after firing the kill shot. Glancing at the other crew members, he stated, "Who's going to take her back to the ship?"

"Already! Such a light weight!" Dr. Liara T'soni sang. She was one to talk. The young, blue asari had been sipping all of her drinks, still chipping away at her third shot.

"I'm not doing it." Miranda Lawson stated bluntly. She used to work for Cerberus, a rogue-militant group that originated on Earth, but now she was a little bit of anything Commander Shepard needed her to be to get the job done; the same as with Jacob Taylor.

"Well, someone's got to take her back to the ship. She can't go alone." Jacob proclaimed with worry.

"Let's just vote on it." Communications Specialist, Samantha Traynor quipped.

"That's a great idea." Jacob responded, still holding up the suitless quarian.

"We take a vote!"

The rest of the crew kind of murmured these gruff responses. No one objected to the idea, but no one was too eager to leave the club either. It had been a long two months bouncing from space port to space port, ducking and dodging bullets, and now all they wanted to do was relax.

So when it came to voting, they did it the old fashioned way: names in a hat. Joker provided the hat, of course, and he looked weird without it. Unlike Tali who looked amazing without her environmental suit on. Thanks to bionettics immuno-boosters, a monthly injection was all a quarian needed to be suit-free.

Now with her face finally exposed; her skin as flawless as still milk, creamy with a light-purplish hue. Tali's eyes were slightly bigger than a human's, having double pupils and two sets of eye lids. Her face was narrow and looked as if it had been chiseled out of stone. The quarian's hair was silky and purple in color, somewhat matching her skin.

"And the lucky, or should I say unlucky winner of tonight's baby-sitting duties goes to… Garrus Vakarian!" Joker, the ship's pilot sang.

"Wooo, congratulations, Garrus!" Several other crew members exclaimed, clapping their hands.

Garrus's head dropped. He didn't want to be the one to take her back to the commander like this. Downing his last shot, Garrus suddenly stood walking over to Jacob who was more than happy to hand over the quarian.

"You take good care of her now, Garrus!" Jacob jested.

"Make sure you carry her with both arms." Traynor then said in an equally jovial inflection.

"If she pukes, just hold your breath and keep on trekking." Joker the proclaimed.

"Oh, don't be sad, Garrus." Miranda then said. "It's only a twenty minute walk back to the ship. Then again, with the traffic, and Tali in that drunken state, it should take you about forty-five minutes, but I'm hoping for an hour!"

"Laugh it up you guys." Garrus barked, now holding the quarian upright.

They begin moving toward the door.

"Bye, Garrus and Tali!" remaining crew members sang in unison.

Garrus could only growl in response as he and Tali headed for the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes**: I wasn't down with this idea at first, but I think it presents a challenge, not only for me but for the readers, so I think I'm going to enjoy writing this.

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"Damn, Miranda Lawson was right!" Garrus thought to himself. The heavy foot-traffic and Tali, walking on legs of jello, made what should have been a twenty minute walk into a forty to forty-five minute walk.

The trip was made more difficult by Tali's constant dialogue. She wanted to talk about her father and how he wasn't there for her when she was younger. She talked about some ex-boyfriends who screwed her over. She then spoke of her education, and the stress of being considered a mechanical genius by most. Then she spoke of her fears of dying, and how she felt incredibly honored to have served aboard the Normandy.

Unfortunately, her words were slurred to the point where most of what she was trying to articulate just came out as noise. In between her dialogue, she would want them to stop, claiming that she was okay to walk on her own. Garrus foolishly believed her, letting the quarian have at it, only to have her face almost meeting the pavement.

Catching her, Garrus chimed, "Careful…! I got you."

"I told you-HEEK!" She interrupted herself with hiccups. "I'm fine-HEEK! You don't always-HEEK, have to be my hero-HEEK. You know?"

"I'm your hero?" Garrus sang, quirking a brow-plate. "I thought Commander Shepard was your hero?" He was pulling her back on to her feet, their bodies so close that Tali could feel his heart beating against her shoulder blade. It was slower than a human's, Commander Shepard's anyway.

Tali didn't respond just yet, glancing at him with her four pupils, blinking her second set of eyelids. "He is." She finally stated as if agreeing with Garrus. "But," her words began, as if walking on thin ice, "he doesn't have a dark side." Her hand found its way upon his scarred mandible, tracing the blemishes very faintly.

The damaged side of his face being much more sensitive than the other side, her gentile contact drew a shiver down Garrus's spine.

He took her wondering hand, stilling its motions. "What do you mean?"

Tali's breath was slightly labored, smelling of sweet booze, eating away at Garrus's concentration.

"Commander Shepard is Commander Shepard. But you…" She took a moment, staring into his mysterious, blue eyes, surrounded by gray plates. "You're Garrus Vakarian and Archangel."

"You trying to say that my alter ego, is more exciting than 'The Commander Shepard'?"

"You have no idea." She answered quickly, and too comfortably, leaving no room for any other interpretation. "I mean, Shepard is good and all, but…," now standing upright, her back was to him, pressed against his body in a suggestive manner. It was no accident, but the verdict on her being fully aware of what she was doing was still out. "He's not good at _everything_." Her words were almost a prayer.

Garrus swallowed hard, feeling his groin-plates began to shift. He had to resist the urge to grind into her, suddenly grabbing her loose arms. He threw one over his neck before moving. "Maybe he's just tired."

Tali scoffed. "He's always tired!"

"He's a busy man, Tali. He's got needs." Garrus thought he was just saying what needed to be said, and that would be the end of it.

"Yeah, well, what about my needs?" She turned to him, her breath dancing on the crux of his un-plated neck. They stopped, yet again, only ten minutes from the ship.

"What is it that you need?" Garrus asked.

"Why don't you take me to the hotel over there and find out?" She engaged in a daring voice.

Garrus looked just a few meters away, seeing a hotel. He then felt her soft fingers walking the length of his facial scars.

He swallowed hard again, the alcohol clouding his mind. Since the moment Garrus first saw Tali, she was in a suit of course, but he still wanted her. He loved the fact that she was so smart and caring, and she could hold her own on the battle field; like Liara. But Liara was a given, easy on the eyes like most, if not all, asari. Garrus wasn't into the typical. He wanted something different. Unfortunately, Shepard made a move first, despite knowing how Garrus felt about her. He claimed that they were talking and it just happened.

Garrus accepted it for a while, blaming himself even, for not jumping on her when he had the chance. Well, now fate was giving him another chance, only with a twist: Tali still belonged to Shepard.

He decided to take her up on her offer, steering them both in the direction of the hotel.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes**: Just want to warn wouldbe readers, this is smutty smut, so do not read if your not into smut! And I just want to say, I think I'm going to enjoy this request, it's challenging.

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Pulling Tali by the hand, into the dark room, the door shut behind them; automatically locking. Garrus waved his hand over a sensor on the wall, glowing ruby red in the blackness. The sensor turned green, a dim light mounted on the ceiling, showering them in a lazy, yellow hue.

Tali was breathless, the room spinning, her knees shaking, heart hammering against her chest. She didn't even remember Garrus and her in the lobby, purchasing the room, nor did she remember the short elevator ride they took to get here. The quarian and the turian were still standing by the entrance when Garrus pulled her further in. The bed was just a few paces past the small kitchen and hallway. She didn't object, trudging on dizzy feet, all the way past the kitchen, where there was enough light to guide the pair into the hallway.

Garrus waved his hand over another sensor, an equally lazy glow poured down on them, filling the narrow space, leading into the bedroom. Tali's breathing accelerated at that moment, feeling herself being pulled into the room. It was dark with only a vague splash of yellow light creeping in at the entrance. She could make out Garrus' jagged silhouette well enough, and the lip of the bed that was just a few feet away.

The turian turned to her just then, saying nothing yet, but his arms did grab the bottom of his tunic, sliding it up over his head. Tossing it away, he stepped closer to her, his face now centimeters from hers.

"Wait Garrus, I…," her mind lost in the fog.

"You don't want to do this?" His slightly grated, dual-voice, didn't sound disappointed or surprised.

Her mouth opened to speak, but the words seemed to fall ill on her tongue.

His face moved in closer to hers, driving his tongue over her top lip while his arm snaked around her mid-section; fishing for the clasp to undo her dress.

"I…." She still couldn't get the words out. Was it the alcohol?

For as long as Garrus had known Tali, she had never been one to leave something unfinished. So to make sure that this was what she really wanted, he stuck his lengthy, prehensile tongue into her open mouth. She moaned loudly, sucking on it as if it were candy. Her hands found their way past the back of his neck, slithering up skull.

Garrus heard himself growl appreciatively, as her lips pressed against his mouth-plates. Her leg crept up his waist a short time later. Garrus held the stray limb in place, running his thicker fingers over the smooth skin.

They made out for a time, Garrus finally pulling away to speak. With a teasing glimmer in his eyes, mandibles pulled slightly away from his face for a smug, turian grin, he began. "You want me to stop?"

Tali was panting so loudly, she could barely make out his words. She went to speak, when the turian, devilishly ran his digit against the thin layer of fabric that covered her moist, hot sex. She screamed. Her mouth was back on his a second later, jutting her tongue into his mouth. She then felt Garrus's other hand still fiddling with the clasp on the back of her dress. Undoing it, the top half obeyed gravity, sinking down to her ribcage.

Garrus lifted her up just then, carrying her gallantly to the bed. He dropped her on the plushness of covers and a mattress, undoing his pants. The majority of his body was masked in blackness, but she could tell by his motions, and the sounds his clothing made, that he was removing them. His boots went before his pants did; now towering over the quarian, completely nude.

Tali reached out, possibly to grab his hips but instead her hand grazed something else. Garrus moaned, his head falling back as he put his hands upon her forearms, encouraging her to press on. She mechanically obeyed, grabbing his warm, hard shaft with both of her hands. He coaxed her arms to move, back and forth, slowly; each motion drawing a grunt or a gasp from the turian's mouth.

"… spirits, Tali."

His hips started to rock as her hands tightened around his cock. Garrus then hissed, their tempo increasing slightly. "Tali…!" He whispered again.

She didn't answer with words, but she did answer with her mouth, inching closer to get into position. She then placed her tentative, parted lips over his manhood, careful of her fangs.

Garrus's released her forearms at that moment, moving his hands to the base of his fringe. His head dipped back, eyes closing, as Tali sucked him off. He didn't even have to put a hand on her head for encouragement but he did it anyway.

She obliged him, her head moving faster than before. Garrus felt his mandibles spreading, his legs becoming weak. Tali hummed as he pumped into her, his talons loosing themselves in her purple locks. She felt him speeding up even more, ramming himself into her mouth with a few more thrusts until he suddenly pulled out, pushing her onto her back.

Tali fell with an audible gasp, looking at him in the darkness, overwhelmed with emotions. Garrus fell down on top of her seconds later, pinning the petite quarian with his weight. He was breathing just as heavy as she was, his body warm to the point where it was almost uncomfortable.

He maneuvered on top of her until he was able to hook one hand within the bend of her knee, lifting a leg up; ripping her panties off with his other hand. She gasped at the brash action, wrapping her first leg around his waist. Garrus tossed the ruined fabric away, never breaking his focus.

With his cock positioned directly in front of her intimate folds, Tali stared at Garrus, suddenly saying his name. "Garrus."

"What," he whispered loud and breathlessly, teasing her moist folds with his hard shaft.

"I don't think we should—" _do this_.

"Uh," he grunted, spearing her sex with his.

Tali yelped; her back arching as Garrus's tongue swam between her cleavage. She wasn't wearing a bra, since her dress came with support for that area. Garrus pulled almost completely out of her before forcing himself back in. She moaned loudly again, nails raking across Garrus's back-plates. He continued, his slow, tantalizingly harsh thrusts until their bodies were moist with sweat.

Only then did his tempo increase, his position altering as he twisted his hips. Tali sank her nails into his back, screaming out in pure pleasure-agony, calling out Garrus's name, begging him not to stop. Her breast bounced wildly, sweat running down her forehead, hair soaked.

Suddenly, the turian rolled over onto his back, Tali on top. There rhythm ceased only for a second, while the quarian clumsily repositioned her sex over his cock. Garrus grabbed her hips to steady her as she sank back down on him. Her movement was slow, trying to be prudent in her drunken state.

Garrus was impatient, shoving himself back into her, his grip increasing on her firm hips at the same time.

"Uh… keelah, Garrus!"

He responded with a loud grunt, forcing her body to bounce atop his. She didn't need coaching for long, ripping his hands from her sides, and pushing them up past his head. Garrus collected his six fingers, interlocking them behind his fringe for added support; trusting that the quarian wasn't too drunk to ride him right.

She gave him a very human-like kiss on the mouth-plates before pulling herself upright. Tali then started to rock her hips like an exotic dancer. She went slow, grabbing her own breasts as her speed quickened, ignoring the sweat that made the perky flesh slippery.

Garrus growled as her pace quickened, to sharp, naughty motions that caused the turians chest to rise and fall faster than before. His hands couldn't stay behind his head for long, finding their way near her legs. They stopped short of her knees, his talons curling into the sheets.

Tali was screaming with each motion, crying out, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, keelah, yes! Harder! Harder, Garrus! Give it to me! Harder! Oh yes, harder!"

Garrus was bucking into her with every roll of her hips, until he couldn't take it anymore. His hands clapped against her thighs again, their speed increasing to a sloppy, rough, wet, painful rhythm that had them both screaming. They went on like that, their climaxes building until they peaked, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other, Tali howling out in pleasure; Garrus roaring as his seed spilled into her.

They held each other, Garrus's head pressed into Tali's breasts, bodies wet and sticky. All that could be heard now was their labored breaths and Tali's heart pounding against the turian's temple.

Eventually, she laid him back down, planting her body right next to his. Her arm crept up over his rock-solid chest. He moaned with satisfaction, pulling her closer to him, eyelids weighted by fatigue; gravity doing the rest. The two fell asleep right then.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes**: Hello all, odly enough I think I am going to enjoy this story and to the person I am writing this for, I don't think I'll be able to make the sex scenes too long because I just don't have the time, but I hope you still like. Just send me your questions/comments via PI, you don't havet to keep saying "Hello?"

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Looking at the golden hologram numbers on the top corner of the wall, they read 04:21. Garrus blankly stared at the clock, his mind besieged by thoughts; everything that had transpired just a few, short hours ago. He had been awake for an hour now, awoken by the urge to relieve himself.

When his eyelids first cracked open, his vision was blurred, steeped in darkness. It took him several seconds to recapture his keen vision. While waiting on that, his other sense: the sense of touch; reminded him that he was not alone, for once. His body was pressed against Tali's. She had fitted perfectly in his warm embrace, her body now a slave to his scent and the scent of their lustrous escapade.

Garrus wasn't going to lie, but while in the position, he was getting very tempted; his three fingers creeping up her naked thigh. She was sleeping so peacefully from what his eyes were still gathering: her body being a dark oval-shaped blob, distorted by the covers. As his hand ventured further up her thigh, his mouth plates neared the only exposed flesh, her cheek and neck. With his tongue coming out, that was when he caught the whiff of alcohol on her breath.

He pulled back, not turned off by the smell, only distracted. Now he wanted a drink. Yes, Garrus was an alcoholic by human standards, but that was the best way he knew how to deal with the stress. His best friend and Commanding Officer, John Shepherd, had these bizarre rituals, like yoga, and he would listen to all kinds of "relaxing" sounds: birds chirping, wind blowing; that kind of crap.

For Garrus, if he wasn't drinking, he'd damn well better be shooting or boxing something. But now that he'd had a taste of his best friend's girl, he may be adding her to his list of Favorite Stress Relief Techniques.

Tali took a deep breath, releasing it from her nose; her body moving just a hair. The simple motion coerced Garrus into believing that she may be awakening: after all, quarians have weak bladders, right?

He turned, gingerly in the bed, his hand slipping back around her waist, rubbing her midsection; the rest of his body pressing up against her back. Her body didn't respond, driving Garrus's face forward, using his scent of smell to sniff her vulnerable flesh out in the darkness.

His mandibles eventually made it into her purple locks. Garrus's other hand came up, swimming over her head to brush some of the hair away. Her skin was so soft, delicate like a flower. He loved the feel of it. She was one incredible woman.

_Commander Shepherd's a dumbass for trusting me with his girl_. Garrus thought to himself with a smirk. He had always wanted her, since the moment she first stepped onto the ship. He was going to make a move, but got cold feet as the crew's pursuit of Saren became more and more taxing. And then the Normandy got blown up and his best friend spaced.

Garrus needed time to grieve, so he took a break from alcohol and tried Spectre training. But wouldn't you know it, being associated with the Normandy crew didn't sit well with the primarch at the time. It was noted by those prudish bastards that it took many human lives to save their sorry asses, but at the end of the day: punching a reporter, nuking Virmire, stealing their own ship after the council had deemed it on lock down, and cutting the council off, mid-sentence, during various vid-coms was enough to deny Garrus a golden opportunity. So he gladly told them where they could shove it, and then headed to Omega.

From there he built a team of vigilantes, who ended up dying, all save for one. And as the enemies closed in on him, that was when Commander Shepherd stormed into Garrus's base of operations, doing what he did best. He saved Garrus, and told him about the collectors. From there, it was nonstop bloodshed and explosions. Eventually they rescued Tali. Garrus wasn't along for the mission. Instead, he was calibrating the weapon's systems. He didn't find out about Tali until dinner time. She was in the mess hall with the Commander. He was elated to see her, making no apologies for his flirtatious behavior. Soon after, they started dating and Garrus was happy for them… at first.

Okay it was hard seeing the woman that he admired, in the arms of another man. Garrus had wanted Tali so bad, and for so long. He felt that John had everything: a ship, loyal friends, a second chance at life, an endless bank account, and the authority to operate above the law.

But what did Garrus have? A chance to live in his best friend's shadow, and that was it! And it stayed that way even after he was sentenced to Earth for his hearing. Once that happened, everyone on the Normandy kind of scattered, going their separate ways to try and warn people of the impending threat.

It was the best time for Garrus to just lose himself in the chaos. What most might deem strange, Garrus found to be comforting; he loved chaos. Being thrown in the midst of a battle had a way of grounding him. So he went to Minae, Palaven's moon, and fought the reapers, ready to die for his people.

But then, Shepherd showed up, and as usual, he saved the day. And Garrus was grateful for him. They spent several weeks rallying up forces, building to a final assault. In that time, everyone was just too wrapped up in what was going on. There was no time to even breath, at least that's what it seemed like.

Garrus stuck to drinking when he wasn't fighting, always has. And sometimes he'd make the rounds, talking to various crew members when John was too busy. That was how he accidentally stumbled into Tali's quarters, while she was watching some porn and… pleasing herself. She usually wasn't this careless, but it just went to show how taxing the stress was.

His tongue explored the crux of her neck while his other hand returned to her sacred folds, getting turned on by the memory. His body rocked slowly into her, needing more of the quarian; needing her right now.

Tali was clearly embarrassed, throwing an article of cleaning material at him and yelling, "Don't you know how to knock, you fuck'n bosh'tet!?"

Ever since then, whenever the couple was kissing, and Garrus was near, Tali would always glance in his direction. Their eyes would meet, but only for the briefest second. After the war, John was declared a hero throughout the galaxy—believing that he was dead. But low and behold, his body was recovered, and with the aid of nanites, Commander Shepherd, now seen as a God, was back.

In the time of his absence, Garrus was there to comfort Tali, but only as a friend in the beginning. A few times he let how he felt about her slip. She claimed that she did not share the same feelings, but her body was sending other signals. And then there were those times they had kissed. It was accidental the first time, according to Tali. But the additional "incidents" and the passion fueled behind these "incidents", said otherwise: almost going all the way. Her true feelings about the turian were starting to show and it must have scared her. So she did the only thing she knew how to do in a situation like this.

"Garrus…," stepping back, the quarian's arm slips from Garrus's gentle, yet determined grip. "We can't do this."

"Why?" the turian's arms were folded over his rock hard chest, mandibles slightly pulled outward.

The helmetless quarian stares at him briefly with disbelief. Is he seriously asking why he they can't be sexually involved, knowing that his best friend and her lover—savior of the galaxy—is clinging on to life by a thread at Huerta Memorial Hospital.

Tali's jaw was agape, staring at the turian for a long, hard second before speaking. "Because… Shepherd…," was all she could manage to say, even though deep down inside she really wanted to. She had been going for months, holding on to this sexual frustration, trying to beat it down with more work. Garrus, being a turian, knew a thing or two about sexual tension; reading her right off the bat. He knew what she needed, what her body yearned for. But just like a human, the quarian bashfully denied what her body was missing, telling herself that she could wait for Shepherd when in actuality, it seemed that Tali had been waiting for a lifetime.


	5. Chapter 5

Tali squirmed as the feeling of something warm and wet trailed across her throat. Simultaneously, she felt hands running up and down her body. Automatic thinking placed the blame on John Shepherd, and the thought did not excite her initially. But the sooner she gave in the sooner it would be over. She rolled over moaning audibly with appreciation, perhaps a bit of revelation; whatever she could muster up in her still drunken, and exhausted self.

"John, you can't wait a few more hours?"

Garrus's hands immediately froze, his head drawing away from her slick skin. Staring at her in the darkness, he gave her a moment to figure it out.

Her hands were lazily traveling the length of his midsection, not yet daring to venture any further, perhaps to elude working "John" into a frenzy.

After another moment, Garrus answered. "I'm not John."

The dual vocals married to a slightly grated inflection; no it couldn't be! A sharp gasp and the stiffening of her once nimble fingers was all that needed to be said in that moment. Silence reigned king, dominating both the quarian and the turian. Not truly able to see one another, but staring each other down in the darkness. Suddenly, Tali spoke.

"Turn the light on." Her voice came out in a desperate plea.

Garrus obliged, rolling out of the bed, he went over to the soft speck of illumination on the wall, near the door, he waved his hand over it, the room blooming in a cascade of high yellow.

Tali blinked profusely, Garrus did too as their eyes adjusted to the sudden intrusion. More silence held the two in suspense as Tali stared at the turian, in all his nude glory, her eyes practically bulging from their sockets. Her heart had dropped from her chest a long time ago, feeling a sharp, rusted, metal coil began to rise within her gut, twisting around her organs.

"Gggg-Garrus…!?" It was shock that guided her tongue. Her eyes suddenly moved away from him, walking the distance back to where she sat: in the center of the bed, propped up now by a tidal wave of emotions.

Some tresses of purple hair fell in front of her face as her head dropped, body starting to rock, overcome with emotions.

This was not the reaction Garrus was expecting. His heart suddenly stopped, his body steeling with regret. _What have I done!_ He couldn't even move, watching her rock back and forth like a victim of something horrendous.

"Oh keela…. Oh keela…." Tali kept repeating, her hands wrapped around her midsection.

Tali didn't speak for long time. The silence and her constant rocking sent Garrus over the edge. He stormed over to her on broken apologies.

"Tali… I…." Garrus climbed on the bed cautiously, his sub-harmonics going in a low trill of submission. He knew she could hear it, but it meant nothing to a quarian. "Tali…." Garrus felt his hands grab her face, the fear in his voice, the pain, the anguish…. He brushed the hair away from her eyes, staring into them with his avian-blues. Breathing heavily, he saw the water filling her eyes but not daring to spill out. Her face was exhausted, confused, drifting even; as if she was wondering if this was real or just a nightmare.

"Tali… I'm SO sorry. We just… you were…." With her face in his hands, her skin as smooth as glass, absent of any flaws, Garrus found himself getting lost as he stared into her hypnotic eyes. "Tali, I've wanted you for so long, and I just…." He didn't know where to begin. His brain was just running with thoughts and the words leaving his mouth were clear evidence of the phenomena.

What he was trying to say was, "I know I'm an asshole for taking advantage of you, but a part of you knows my feelings towards you. I love you. I've always loved you, since the moment we first met. So please, don't be mad at me, and whatever you do, don't tell Shepherd!"

Tali's hand suddenly came up to his, pulling at one of his thick fingers. She wasn't even looking at him. "I have to go." She passively declared. Tali let the covers slip from her body as she moved to get up.

Garrus stayed rooted in all of his emotions, gawking at her, overwhelmed by her reaction, or lack thereof. Tali climbed out of bed as if dazed and disoriented, blankly scanning the ground with her eyes until they came across an article of clothing belonging to her.

The remnants of her shredded underwear brought out no emotion. Impassively glancing at the shreds of silk, she moved on. Garrus watched her intently as she fished the room, looking for her clothes.

"Tali?" Garrus called out, his voice mildly shaky within the dual hum of his sub-harmonics. He couldn't pinpoint her mood and it was driving him insane.

She didn't answer as she lifted her dress off the ground, suddenly stepping back in it. The dress still smelled of booze and cigarettes, with a little hint of turian. She ignored the smell, just wanting to get back to the ship ASAP.

"Tali…?" Garrus called again.

She blatantly ignored him, pulling the straps over her shoulders. The back stayed open, exposing her some of the flesh behind her. Her back was flexible, like a snake almost, and Garrus couldn't help admiring her every motion. She moved like water, all quarians did.

"Are you going back to the ship?" Garrus asked, making like he was going to move.

It was a stupid question. Of course she was going back to the ship. She just wanted to get away from him. But she couldn't say it. Violated was what she wanted to feel; however, that was not the emotion taking precedence and it pained her.

Visuals of their erotic night were playing in her head in short clips. The memories were forcing her to revisit the moments his body was all over hers, touching her, caressing her, licking her from head to toe; pleasing her in ways that the Great Commander Shepard had not.

After putting on her shoes, Tali exited the room without saying a word. Garrus felt his heart drop to the deepest, darkest, loneliest pit in his gut. Tali had left him with nothing but a disheveled room and the sound of him panting as he contemplated his options.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Just finished some more classes and registered for the summer. Eng. 114 was a killer, taking up a lot of my time, that's why it's taken me so long for these updates. But now I got some free time, so I'll try to keep them coming. And as always, thank you for the reviews, will be updating my other stories as well.

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Bolting down the well-lit corridor, Garrus made it to the elevator, just before those two, weary doors could successfully meet; his hand wedging into the slit, forcing the doors to reopen with a saddened _ping_ of defeat.

The ride was slow at best, causing Garrus to rapidly tap his foot with angst. An asari and batarian female glanced at him, assessing the turian from head to toe. He probably came off as a little kid trying to hold his pee. Garrus didn't care. Out all the great advancements in the galaxy, faster elevators were one thing that was severely lacking. _Ping_! Garrus flew through those double doors as soon as they opened, leaving two bewildered women in his wake.

Garrus just about sprinted to the ship, arriving just a little after Tali. She was walking up to the docking plate about to board, no one else around. Garrus ran up to her, grabbing her arm, almost harshly, blurting out, "Tali wait."

"Keela, Garrus!" Her tone was harsh, glaring at the turian with her amphibious eyes.

"Tali…," but before he could say any more, a soft greeting from the tender lips of Dr. Liara T'soni quieted whatever else Garrus was about to say. "Garrus."

Garrus quickly released Tali's arm, saying, "Liara," trying to keep his troubled harmonics under control. It wasn't that Liara could hear them, but she was really good at readying people, too good actually.

"Just getting back I see," her once straight lips, bound by seriousness, soon curved into a soft smile. "Damn I had a rough night," she padded closer to them.

"Uuuuuh," was all Garrus could muster in his surprised stupor.

_Tell me about it_. Tali just flashed a quick smile. "Where's John," Tali suddenly asked.

Garrus felt his heart stop, figuratively speaking.

Tali glanced back at Garrus, stepping away from him, simultaneously. His frightened sub-harmonics were getting on her nerves. As a matter of fact, all his nervous trills were getting on her nerves.

Liara watched them two for a brief second, her eyes lingering on Garrus with slight confusion. Garrus attempted to spread his mandibles apart in an attempt to loosen up. It was anyone's guess if it worked.

"John's still asleep. He ended up drinking with Vega at around 0300—mmmmmm," she suddenly added, placing her hand on her forehead. "I made the mistake of stopping by to check up on John…." She left the rest for them to interpret, knowing that they could figure out what happened. Tali wasn't the only one who couldn't hold her liquor. Okay, Liara was a light-weight, but she wasn't as bad as Tali.

"Oh well… that sounds great—now I really need to shower," Tali brusquely stated, walking on the docking plate and into the decontamination chamber.

Liara seemed to have not caught on to Tali's dismissive nature, thanks to the traces of alcohol still eddying in her soul.

"Log: Decontamination complete. Dr. T'soni, Chief Mechanic Tali vas Normandy, and Chief Officer Vakarian on board," the ship's AI chimed.

Tali was the first one to exit the decontamination chamber, storming toward the elevator.

Liara was still rubbing her head. "I was hoping that some fresh air would do the trick, but I guess not," finally opening her eyes to see that she was standing there all along. Garrus had chased after Tali, rushing into the elevator, just as it was about to close.

"Tali, wait."

"Garrus…." She glared at him, stepping away, yet again. "Don't talk to me."

"Tali, I…," Garrus's mind suddenly went blank. He had nothing to say for himself. No words could ever make this right, and he knew it. He knew it. Tali would hate him for a lifetime. No, he had to try. "Tali, let me explain, please."

"There's nothing to talk about, Garrus."

"I'm… I'm sorry."

The elevator stopped, the door whooshing open. Tali stared at him, her look dark and empty from what Garrus could tell, but it wasn't like he'd been around many quarians, to have their facial expressions down to a science. She stepped out, her eyes lingering on him with something that he took as disappointment, maybe even hate. Tali left Garrus standing in the elevator looking stupid as she turned to wave her omni tool against the door's security mechanism, unlocking the only barrier between her and Shepard's room.

Garrus wanted to beg her not to tell, but he'd never been good at begging; too many times spent seeing the weak beg on Omega, made him allergic to it. The door to John Shepard's room pinged, before opening. Tali waltzed through the door frame, the door closing with a seemingly harsh influence, behind her. He stood in the elevator staring at the closed door, his heart lost somewhere in his gut.

The only light in John's room came from the fish tank. The Great Commander Shepard himself sat chest down in his bed, the cover resting over most of his head, back and lower body exposed. He was wearing only his boxers, snoring just above the hypnotic bubbles from the fish tank.

Tali, still full of tension, found the strength inside her to walk delicately to the bathroom. The automatic light flicked on in the bathroom, showering Tali in a bright, white glow. She assessed herself in the mirror for a moment, looking at her neck and shoulders. Those were places turians really liked to bite. So far she had a few scratches, and even some small bruising from where Garrus had nipped her. Thankfully, Tali's skin was a little bit tougher than human skin. It was comparable to batarian skin only batarian's were more leathery as far as texture was concerned. Her nimble, three fingers ran down her back as best she could, the rest of her turning to assess her back. There were scratches, but the evidence was greatly distorted by the natural pattern of skin that covered her spine. Think of a crocodile's back, only the bumps were not as harsh.

Tali took a deep breath, removing her dress. She let it plop to the floor, stepping out of it. She then placed one leg on the toilet, running her hands down a scratched thigh. Her inner thighs, which were smoother, felt slightly raw to the touch, but there was no visual evidence that something had taken place. She was grateful for that. As Tali continued to rub her thigh, she couldn't help thinking of Garrus, the way he latched onto her thighs, practically throwing her up and down, upon him like an animal. Her eyes closed, as her mind tried to recapture the reverie of Garrus all over her, touching and biting, and licking, and grunting, groping, and humping, and nipping, and sucking; expertly hitting her erogenous zones, and even discovering some new ones along the way.

The thoughts had Tali curious. _Exactly how many quarians has he been with?_ A few seconds later, the shower was on and Tali stepped inside, letting the water run down her body. The warmth stung a little bit, flirting with the scratches Garrus left on her body. She let the water run through her slick hair, rubbing her body in the cascade of the gentile shower.

She exited the shower sometime later, drying off as she moved closer to the bed. John Shepard hadn't moved an inch, still sleeping almost silently on the bed with the covers still nested on his head. He looked rather silly, and seeing him there, so innocent, Tali could feel nothing but disappointment in herself for allowing what happened between her and Garrus to transpire. A part of her wanted to believe that she could've stopped it, but another part of her knew that she didn't want him to stop. She had been curious about Garrus for a long time. It all started when she overheard a conversation involving John, James Vega, and Garrus. They were having guy talk, sparing no details about their most intimate encounters.

When it was Garrus's turn, he modestly stated how he'd gotten an asari girl back to his place, during his C-sec days. He touched on the logistics before diving head-first into the meat and potatoes. With a smug grin on his armored face, he boasted about their sexual encounter, proudly expressing how he made that asari speak languages that weren't even invented yet. He had the guys laughing as he sat back in his seat, a cold beer in hand. Tali began to wonder, as she looked to the sleeping human on the bed, how many talks had John and the rest of the men had that were like that? She slowly crawled into the bed, cuddling up next to the human as best she could. He didn't budge, which let her know that he must still be heavily intoxicated, because usually, the slightest noise had him diving out of the bed and grabbing the pistol from the nightstand in one fluid motion.

Tali just ran her fingers down his skin, tracing a particularly ropy scar that snaked down shoulder blade, her mind racing with thoughts.


End file.
